Today was a rough day. As I started from back into town from staying at the yurt I was not pedalling and going down a 2 percent grade going 37 km/hr. This was the exact opposite direction I would be going as I headed into the day of hills.
The first 8 km were flat and even with the wind were not too difficult. After this point things started to get rough. At kilometer 9 I was proud of myself for being upbeat even though I had to walk my bike quite a bit. Kilometer 10.5 was starting to get tired but still in high spirits as I had 4.5 more km to climb. At kilometer 13.2 I hated everything...I actually caught myself hating the grass...yeah grass what are you looking at.
Watching the clouds blow in as I hate the world
At this point I believed I had 2 more km to go and the wind was slamming into me as I slowly pushed my bike forward. At km 13.3 I was elated to turn a corner and see not only the elevation sign of 476 m at Hilltop but the beautiful bays beyond.
Looking toward Akaroa at Hilltop
Of course my joyfulness was not long lived as I knew there were still four smaller hills to conquer prior to getting to my destination of Akaroa. The 6 km downhill was trying as I needed to keep my bike under 25 km/hr in order to allow myself to brake if needed. I had to pull off multiple times to allow my hand to relax.
By the time I got to the third smaller hill I was knackered. Luckily there was a pullout area that was perfect to sit in the shade and have a snack. The snack was much appreciated as I found out the granola bars I bought tasted horrible!
Me at hill 3With food in my belly I hyped myself up for the 1.5 hills I needed to finish so I could reward myself with coffee and treat. Bribing yourself truly does wonders on your mood and motivation. Of course the last hill was the worse along with being completely straight so it appears at all times that you are not getting any closer.
Needless to say I made it to Akaroa very proud of myself even though I think I walked 5 km of the 32 kms I went that day.
It's an amazing feeling getting back out there when most of you body isn't in shape and your mind is raising fearful alarms. I'm not the confident rider I once was but it is slowly coming back. Patience is truly a virtue.
The nice thing about riding now is that my negative voice is amazingly quite...almost completely silent. I know that I could easily give up my hopes of bicycle touring and store my bike somewhere but now I feel that I truly have earned these rides. They will be hard, and I'm not going to win any style points but I'm out there doing it and nobody can take that away.
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